Changes in body size of Canadian Pacific salmon over six decades

2017 ◽  
Vol 74 (2) ◽  
pp. 191-201 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kyla M. Jeffrey ◽  
Isabelle M. Côté ◽  
James R. Irvine ◽  
John D. Reynolds
Keyword(s):  
Body Size ◽  
Sockeye Salmon ◽  
Oncorhynchus Tshawytscha ◽  
Coho Salmon ◽  
Pacific Salmon ◽  
Southern Oscillation ◽  
Rapid Change ◽  
Oncorhynchus Gorbuscha ◽  
Oncorhynchus Keta ◽  
Evolutionary Response

Body size can sometimes change rapidly as an evolutionary response to selection or as a phenotypic response to changes in environmental conditions. Here, we revisit a classic case of rapid change in body size of five species of Pacific salmon (Oncorhynchus spp.) caught in Canadian waters, with a six-decade analysis (1951–2012). Declines in size at maturity of up to 3 kg in Chinook (Oncorhynchus tshawytscha) and 1 kg in coho salmon (Oncorhynchus kisutch) during the 1950s and 1960s were later reversed to match or exceed earlier sizes. In contrast, there has been little change in sockeye salmon (Oncorhynchus nerka) sizes and initial declines in pink (Oncorhynchus gorbuscha) and chum salmon (Oncorhynchus keta) sizes have halted. Biomass of competing salmon species contributed to changes in size of all five species, and ocean conditions, as reflected by the North Pacific Gyre Oscillation and the Multivariate ENSO (El Niño – Southern Oscillation) indices, explained variation in four of the species. While we have identified a role of climate and density dependence in driving salmon body size, any additional influence of fisheries remains unclear.

Changes in the Average Size and Average Age of Pacific Salmon

1981 ◽  
Vol 38 (12) ◽  
pp. 1636-1656 ◽  
Author(s):  
W. E. Ricker
Keyword(s):  
Growth Rate ◽  
Chinook Salmon ◽  
Sockeye Salmon ◽  
Oncorhynchus Tshawytscha ◽  
Coho Salmon ◽  
Pacific Salmon ◽  
Gill Nets ◽  
Growing Seasons ◽  
Mean Size ◽  
Average Size

Of the five species of Pacific salmon in British Columbia, chinook salmon (Oncorhynchus tshawytscha) and coho salmon (O. kisutch) are harvested during their growing seasons, while pink salmon (O. gorbuscha), chum salmon (O. keta), and sockeye salmon (O. nerka) are taken only after practically all of their growth is completed. The size of the fish caught, of all species, has decreased, but to different degrees and over different time periods, and for the most part this results from a size decrease in the population. These decreases do not exhibit significant correlations with available ocean temperature or salinity series, except that for sockeye lower temperature is associated with larger size. Chinook salmon have decreased greatly in both size and age since the 1920s, most importantly because nonmaturing individuals are taken by the troll fishery; hence individuals that mature at older ages are harvested more intensively, which decreases the percentage of older ones available both directly and cumulatively because the spawners include an excess of younger fish. Other species have decreased in size principally since 1950, when the change to payment by the pound rather than by the piece made it profitable for the gill-netters to harvest more of the larger fish. Cohos and pinks exhibit the greatest decreases, these being almost entirely a cumulative genetic effect caused by commercial trolls and gill nets removing fish of larger than average size. However, cohos reared in the Strait of Georgia have not decreased in size, possibly because sport trolling has different selection characteristics or because of the increase in the hatchery-reared component of the catch. The mean size of chum and sockeye salmon caught has changed much less than that of the other species. Chums have the additional peculiarity that gill nets tend to take smaller individuals than seines do and that their mean age has increased, at least between 1957 and 1972. That overall mean size has nevertheless decreased somewhat may be related to the fact that younger-maturing individuals grow much faster than older-maturing ones; hence excess removal of the smaller younger fish tends to depress growth rate. Among sockeye the decrease in size has apparently been retarded by an increase in growth rate related to the gradual cooling of the ocean since 1940. However, selection has had two important effects: an increase in the percentage of age-3 "jacks" in some stocks, these being little harvested, and an increase in the difference in size between sockeye having three and four ocean growing seasons, respectively.Key words: Pacific salmon, age changes, size changes, fishery, environment, selection, heritability

Advances in Fish Tagging and Marking Technology

2012 ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Sockeye Salmon ◽  
Oncorhynchus Tshawytscha ◽  
Pacific Salmon ◽  
Area Under The Curve ◽  
Dorsal Surface ◽  
Field Trials ◽  
Oncorhynchus Keta ◽  
Survey Costs ◽  
Tank Test ◽  
Auc Estimation

<i>Abstract</i>.—A micro-controlled fish tag which records post-tagging lifespan was developed, tested as a prototype, and then evaluated in field applications for measuring survey life. The method of constructing the Tilt-Tag and the results of tank test trials on Chinook salmon <i>Oncorhynchus tshawytscha</i>, preliminary field trials on chum salmon <i>Oncorhynchus keta </i>are reviewed, and full-scale field applications on sockeye salmon <i>Oncorhynchus nerka </i>are presented. Survey life (SL) is an essential component for area-under-the-curve (AUC) estimation of Pacific salmon <i>Oncorhynchus </i>spp. spawning escapements. However, direct estimates of SL are often unavailable because the estimates mostly require extensive and costly tag-recapture programs. In this study, the Tilt-Tag was used to estimate SL by measuring the elapsed time from tagging until the fish came to rest permanently on its lateral or dorsal surface. Tilt-Tag derived estimates of SL, combined with specification of survey rules that were based on historical run-timing and stream temperature, reduced survey costs by approximately 50% when compared to conventional tag-recapture methods. Abridged details on how to construct the Tilt-Tag are provided so that researchers will be able to make their own tags.

Effect of incubation temperature on the development of five species of Pacific salmon (Oncorhynchus) embryos and alevins

1988 ◽  
Vol 66 (1) ◽  
pp. 266-273 ◽  
Author(s):  
C. B. Murray ◽  
J. D. McPhail
Keyword(s):  
Chinook Salmon ◽  
Sockeye Salmon ◽  
Coho Salmon ◽  
Incubation Temperature ◽  
Pacific Salmon ◽  
Pink Salmon ◽  
Oncorhynchus Gorbuscha ◽  
Embryo Survival ◽  
Salmon Fry ◽  
Incubation Temperatures

Embryo and alevin survival, time to hatching and emergence, and alevin and fry size of five species of Pacific salmon (Oncorhynchus) were observed at five incubation temperatures (2, 5, 8, 11, and 14 °C). No pink (Oncorhynchus gorbuscha) or chum (O. keta) salmon embryos survived to hatching at 2 °C. Coho (O. kisutch) and sockeye (O. nerka) salmon had higher embryo survival at 2 °C than chinook (O. tschawytscha) salmon. At 14 °C, chum, pink, and chinook salmon had higher embryo survival than coho or sockeye salmon. In all species, peaks of embryo mortality occurred at specific developmental stages (completion of epiboly, eye pigmentation, and hatching). Alevin survival to emergence was high for all species, except for coho and pink salmon at 14 °C. Hatching and emergence time varied inversely with incubation temperature, but coho salmon hatched and emerged sooner at all temperatures than the other species. Coho and sockeye salmon alevins were larger at 2 °C, pink, chum, and chinook salmon alevins were larger at 5 and 8 °C. Coho salmon fry were larger at 2 °C, chinook and chum salmon fry were larger at 5 °C, and sockeye and pink salmon fry were larger at 8 °C. High incubation temperatures reduced fry size in all species. Each species of Pacific salmon appears to be adapted to different spawning times and temperatures, and thus indirectly to specific incubation temperatures, to ensure maximum survival and size and to maintain emergence at the most favorable time each year.

scholarly journals Thermal constraints on stream consumer responses to a marine resource subsidy

2016 ◽  
Vol 73 (11) ◽  
pp. 1661-1671 ◽  
Author(s):  
Adrianne P. Smits ◽  
Daniel E. Schindler ◽  
Jonathan B. Armstrong ◽  
Michael T. Brett ◽  
Jackie L. Carter ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Fatty Acid Composition ◽  
Fatty Acid ◽  
Body Size ◽  
Acid Composition ◽  
Body Condition ◽  
Sockeye Salmon ◽  
Coho Salmon ◽  
Pacific Salmon ◽  
Late Summer ◽  
Resource Subsidy

Spawning migrations of Pacific salmon (Oncorhynchus spp.) to coastal watersheds provide a rich resource subsidy to freshwater consumers. However, variation in thermal regimes and spawning activity across the landscape constrain the ability of poikilothermic consumers to assimilate eggs and carcasses. We investigated how sockeye salmon (Oncorhynchus nerka) spawning density and stream temperature affect the growth, body condition, and fatty acid composition of juvenile coho salmon (Oncorhynchus kisutch), a known egg predator, in seven tributaries of the Wood River in Southwest Alaska. We compared mean body size of juvenile coho salmon in late summer among 3–7 years per stream and found that the largest mean size occurred in warm streams in which sockeye salmon spawned, although overall subsidy magnitude (spawner density) had no effect on consumer body size. Individuals that consumed more salmon eggs (estimated from δ15N) were larger and had altered fatty acid composition but did not have higher relative body condition. These results indicate that effects of marine subsidies on freshwater consumers depend both on local habitat conditions and on individual variation in energy allocation.

Transportation of Pacific salmon carcasses from streams to riparian forests by bears

2009 ◽  
Vol 87 (3) ◽  
pp. 195-203 ◽  
Author(s):  
Thomas P. Quinn ◽  
Stephanie M. Carlson ◽  
Scott M. Gende ◽  
Harry B. Rich, Jr.
Keyword(s):  
Spatial Distribution ◽  
Aquatic Ecosystems ◽  
Sockeye Salmon ◽  
Pacific Salmon ◽  
Riparian Forests ◽  
Oncorhynchus Gorbuscha ◽  
Oncorhynchus Keta ◽  
Ecosystem Process ◽  
Direct Observations ◽  
Salmon Carcasses

Predation on Pacific salmon by bears (genus Ursus L., 1758) can be an important ecosystem process because the spatial distribution of carcasses largely determines whether marine-derived nutrients cycle through aquatic or terrestrial pathways. Direct observations on three streams in southeastern Alaska indicated that 49% of the pink ( Oncorhynchus gorbuscha (Walbaum, 1792)) and chum ( Oncorhynchus keta (Walbaum in Artedi, 1792)) salmon killed by bears were carried into the forest. The tendency of bears to transport carcasses was independent of the sex and species of salmon, but unspawned fish were more often transported than fish that had completed spawning. Data on tagged sockeye salmon ( Oncorhynchus nerka (Walbaum in Artedi, 1792)) in one southwestern Alaska stream indicated that 42.6% of the killed salmon were transported, and that higher percentages were transported in years when salmon densities were greater. At six other streams, on average, 68.1% of the sockeye salmon killed were apparently transported away from the stream into the forest. Combining the data from all sites, the proportion of carcasses transported increased with water depth at the site. These results emphasize the role that bears play in mediating the interactions between nutrients from salmon and the terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems, and the variation in carcass distribution among streams and among years.

scholarly journals On signals of phase transitions in salmon population dynamics

2014 ◽  
Vol 281 (1784) ◽  
pp. 20133221 ◽  
Author(s):  
Martin Krkošek ◽  
John M. Drake
Keyword(s):  
Phase Transitions ◽  
Sockeye Salmon ◽  
Pacific Salmon ◽  
Pink Salmon ◽  
Empirical Support ◽  
Growth Parameter ◽  
Oncorhynchus Gorbuscha ◽  
Oncorhynchus Keta ◽  
Critical Transitions ◽  
Salmon Population

Critical slowing down (CSD) reflects the decline in resilience of equilibria near a bifurcation and may reveal early warning signals (EWS) of ecological phase transitions. We studied CSD in the recruitment dynamics of 120 stocks of three Pacific salmon ( Oncorhynchus spp.) species in relation to critical transitions in fishery models. Pink salmon ( Oncorhynchus gorbuscha ) exhibited increased variability and autocorrelation in populations that had a growth parameter, r , close to zero, consistent with EWS of extinction. However, models and data for sockeye salmon ( Oncorhynchus nerka ) indicate that portfolio effects from heterogeneity in age-at-maturity may obscure EWS. Chum salmon ( Oncorhynchus keta ) show intermediate results. The data do not reveal EWS of Ricker-type bifurcations that cause oscillations and chaos at high r . These results not only provide empirical support for CSD in some ecological systems, but also indicate that portfolio effects of age structure may conceal EWS of some critical transitions.

Historical trends in productivity of 120 Pacific pink, chum, and sockeye salmon stocks reconstructed by using a Kalman filter

2008 ◽  
Vol 65 (9) ◽  
pp. 1842-1866 ◽  
Author(s):  
Brigitte Dorner ◽  
Randall M. Peterman ◽  
Steven L. Haeseker
Keyword(s):  
Kalman Filter ◽  
Sockeye Salmon ◽  
Pacific Salmon ◽  
Stock Assessment ◽  
Temporal Trends ◽  
Survival Rates ◽  
Estimation Procedure ◽  
Oncorhynchus Gorbuscha ◽  
Oncorhynchus Keta ◽  
Observation Error

Temporal trends in productivity of Pacific salmon ( Oncorhynchus spp.) stocks are important to detect in a timely and reliable manner to permit appropriate management responses. However, detecting such trends is difficult because observation error and natural variability in survival rates tend to obscure underlying trends. A Kalman filter estimation procedure has previously been shown to be effective in such situations. We used it on a Ricker spawner–recruit model to reconstruct indices of annual productivity (recruits per spawner (R/S) at low spawner abundance) based on historical data for 120 stocks of pink ( Oncorhynchus gorbuscha ), chum ( Oncorhynchus keta ), and sockeye ( Oncorhynchus nerka ) salmon. These stocks were from Washington, British Columbia, and Alaska. The resulting estimated temporal trends in productivity show large changes (on average 60%–70% differences in R/S and average ratios of highest to lowest R/S between 5.4 and 7.9 for the three species). Such changes suggest that salmon stock assessment methods should take into account possible nonstationarity. This step will help provide scientific advice to help managers to meet conservation and management objectives. The Kalman filter results also identified some stocks that did not share temporal trends with other stocks; these exceptions may require special monitoring and management efforts.

MUSCLE PROTEINS OF PACIFIC SALMON (ONCORHYNCHUS): II. AN INVESTIGATION OF MUSCLE PROTEIN AND OTHER SUBSTANCES SOLUBLE IN SALT SOLUTIONS OF LOW IONIC STRENGTH BY COLUMN CHROMATOGRAPHY

1962 ◽  
Vol 40 (7) ◽  
pp. 919-927 ◽  
Author(s):  
H. Tsuyuki ◽  
E. Roberts ◽  
R. E. A. Gadd
Keyword(s):  
Sockeye Salmon ◽  
Moving Boundary ◽  
Coho Salmon ◽  
Pacific Salmon ◽  
Muscle Protein ◽  
Deae Cellulose ◽  
Ophiodon Elongatus ◽  
The Pacific ◽  
Other Substances ◽  
Low Ionic Strength

The muscle myogens and other components of the spring salmon (O. tshawytscha), chum salmon (O. keta), coho salmon (O. kisutch), and sockeye salmon (O. nerka), as well as the lingcod (Ophiodon elongatus), were separated by the use of diethylaminoethyl (DEAE) cellulose columns. Significant amounts of slowly dialyzable inosine and inosinic acid which may lead to spurious peaks in moving-boundary electrophoretic separations have been shown to be present in the muscle myogen preparations. The basic differences in the muscle myogen components of the Pacific salmon and the lingcod are compared.

scholarly journals Pacific salmon abundance trends and climate change

2011 ◽  
Vol 68 (6) ◽  
pp. 1122-1130 ◽  
Author(s):  
James R. Irvine ◽  
Masa-aki Fukuwaka
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Pacific Ocean ◽  
North Pacific ◽  
Sockeye Salmon ◽  
Coho Salmon ◽  
Pacific Salmon ◽  
North Pacific Ocean ◽  
Pink Salmon ◽  
The North ◽  
Abundance Trends

Abstract Irvine, J. R., and Fukuwaka, M. 2011. Pacific salmon abundance trends and climate change. – ICES Journal of Marine Science, 68: 1122–1130. Understanding reasons for historical patterns in salmon abundance could help anticipate future climate-related changes. Recent salmon abundance in the northern North Pacific Ocean, as indexed by commercial catches, has been among the highest on record, with no indication of decline; the 2009 catch was the highest to date. Although the North Pacific Ocean continues to produce large quantities of Pacific salmon, temporal abundance patterns vary among species and areas. Currently, pink and chum salmon are very abundant overall and Chinook and coho salmon are less abundant than they were previously, whereas sockeye salmon abundance varies among areas. Analyses confirm climate-related shifts in abundance, associated with reported ecosystem regime shifts in approximately 1947, 1977, and 1989. We found little evidence to support a major shift after 1989. From 1990, generally favourable climate-related marine conditions in the western North Pacific Ocean, as well as expanding hatchery operations and improving hatchery technologies, are increasing abundances of chum and pink salmon. In the eastern North Pacific Ocean, climate-related changes are apparently playing a role in increasing chum and pink salmon abundances and declining numbers of coho and Chinook salmon.

Protandry in Pacific salmon

2000 ◽  
Vol 57 (6) ◽  
pp. 1252-1257 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yolanda Morbey
Keyword(s):  
Chinook Salmon ◽  
Sockeye Salmon ◽  
Coho Salmon ◽  
Pacific Salmon ◽  
Pink Salmon ◽  
Statistical Procedure ◽  
Timing Data ◽  
Mating Opportunities ◽  
Gender Specific ◽  
Specific Timing

Protandry, the earlier arrival of males to the spawning grounds than females, has been reported in several studies of Pacific salmon (Oncorhynchus spp.). However, the reasons for protandry in salmon are poorly understood and little is known about how protandry varies among and within populations. In this study, protandry was quantified in a total of 105 years using gender-specific timing data from seven populations (one for pink salmon (O. gorbuscha), three for coho salmon (O. kisutch), two for sockeye salmon (O. nerka), and one for chinook salmon (O. tshawytscha)). Using a novel statistical procedure, protandry was found to be significant in 90% of the years and in all populations. Protandry may be part of the males' strategy to maximize mating opportunities and may facilitate mate choice by females.

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